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Jun 12 Big Gay Ice Cream

It looks like the reign of the Salty Pimp has come to an end. After scaling the country to find the best ice cream treats in America, the editors at Food Network Magazinechose Big Gay Ice Cream's American Globs as the best dessert in New York — a surprising pick over the famous Salty Pimp.

"To me, the American Globs is old hat." Big Gay Ice Cream assistant manager, Kayla Oberlin said of the winning treat. "But it is really exciting to see that there are so many people who are so excited about what we do. It is very humbling!"

Oberlin has been working as the assistant manager for Big Gay Ice Cream since their truck first hit the streets in 2009. Since then, they opened an East Village store (a renowned New York hot spot) and a West Village location with a more extensive ice cream flavor selection. As Big Gay Ice Cream received more recognition for their simple ice cream flavors and unique ingredient pairings, the Salty Pimp (vanilla soft serve with sea salt, dulce de leche, and a chocolate shell) became the universally delicious symbol of what they had to offer. Now, the owners of the small ice cream shop couldn't be more thankful for the national publicity of their shop and one of their most underestimated treats -- the American Globs.

"We are definitely grateful for Food Network Magazine's support of our ice cream," Big Gay Ice Cream owners Doug Quint and Bryan Petroff said of the magazine's decision. "American Globs is a cone that we are extremely proud of, so it was nice to see it get some action."

As the editors of Food Network Magazine decided, this sundae definitely deserves the national spotlight. With creamy vanilla soft serve, sea salt, pretzels, and a chocolate shell, the American Globs is a crunchy, creamy, salty, and sweet surprise that could instantly start a party in your mouth. "I think part of the appeal is the texture," Oberlin said of the winning treat (pictured below)."The pretzels and the chocolate shell are super crunchy and dense while the ice cream is super creamy and soft."

Even when you get down to the bottom of the cone, this ice cream treat delivers with a salty caramel filled tip mixed with leftover ice cream, chocolate, and crunchy pretzels.

American Globs and Salty Pimp aside, the rest of the menu is just (if not more) interesting. It consists of fun popsicles, ice cream sandwiches, shakes, and floats along with sundaes such as the Bea Arthur with vanilla soft serve, dulce de leche, and crushed vanilla wafers; the pumpkin and apple Gobblers with pumpkin butter and maple syrup or apple butter and bourbon butter scotch, pie pieces, and whipped cream; the Cococone with chocolate or vanilla ice cream and toasted curried coconut; and the Mermaid with vanilla ice cream, key lime curd; crushed graham crackers, and whipped cream.

"We take something very very simple and elevate it to a really interesting flavor combination that everybody can handle." Oberlin explained. "It's not highbrow ice cream nor is it artisanal the way some other places might be. It's more communal."

Curious to know her thoughts about the other items on the menu, I asked Oberlin to pick her favorite treat and to tell me what she thought was the most overlooked sundae out of all. She told me her favorite was the Mermaid and the most overlooked would "hands down" be the Cococone because "people see the toasted curried coconut and get worried that it would be spicy." Because one ice cream treat isn't enough, I decided to try both the Mermaid and the Cococone.

The Mermaid was an extremely refreshing treat and perfect for a hot summer day. The key lime curd was the heart of the dessert giving it a citrusy kick while the vanilla ice cream, crushed graham crackers, and whipped cream all blended together to make it creamy and soft. Although I already ate an American Globs, the Mermaid was too good to not inhale within three minutes.

Next, I tried a sample of the Cococone, the sundae that Oberlin believes to the be the most overlooked. Instead of tasting exotic and spicy, the Cococone is almost a "play on German chocolate cake" as she said. The coconut curry adds a kick of flavor to the creamy chocolate soft serve and this dish actually does taste very similar to German chocolate cake.

The Cococone and the Mermaid were both undeniably delicious, but I can see why Food Network Magazine picked the American Globs as New York's victor. It is a unique, yet classic dessert made of universally appreciated ingredients designed to capture all of the major taste elements. Basically, the only way you won't like this dessert is if you're allergic to all things made in Heaven.

While the Salty Pimp will always be famous in its own right, the editors at Food Network Magazine have opened doors for the other items on the menu. "They definitely did us a solid!" Oberlin said enthusiastically. "It's time that the Salty Pimp take a seat. It reigned supreme, but I think it's time the rest of the menu gets attention."

If you want to know the winning ice cream treat for your state or if you're just interested in reading about some crazy desserts around the country, you can read Food Network Magazine's "50 States 50 Ice Cream Treats" article here. The July/August issue is available on newsstands now.